Tips and Tricks for Creating an OC
Here's a handy dandy guide to making a Monster High OC. Age I'll keep this short and sweet. It shouldn't have more than four digits. If you're character is 23,345,323,423 years old, you have a problem. It also shouldn't be less than a week. Since characters could be created rather than born, a rather young age is acceptable, but a character 10 minutes old is hard to believe. Monster Parent This is so important, as it will shape a lot of the aspects of your character. Here are some important guidelines: * DO NOT use the parent of a canon character (We'll talk about this in a minute). It can be the same type (werewolf, vampire, etc.) but it should not be the exact parent (Dracula, etc.) * Try to avoid the over-used monsters. This includes: Vampires, Werewolves, Mummies, Gorgons, and many of the monster-types of the main Canon cast. ** IF you feel you absolutely MUST make a character as one of these types, do everything you can to set them apart from others of their type. And DO NOT make them look or act like a carbon copy of a canon character. * DO NOT use monsters from other fandoms, or villains from comics and such. Villains are not really monsters, and often don't fit into Monster High very well. Fandom monsters may include, but are not limited to: Five Nights at Freddy's, Don't Hug Me I'm Scared, Disney Movies, Anime, and CreepyPastas. Allow me to explain why these are bad. First, most are copyrighted. Second, many lack any real substance and it is difficult to build a character off that. And third, they often end up all seeming the same, and don't stand out. * Attempt to avoid Gods and Deities. Yes, C.A. Cupid is the daughter of Eros. The ADOPTED daughter, who is believed to be a skeletal elemental in reality. In reality, the children of Gods cause creators to be tempted to give them the powers of these Gods, and they end up being too powerful and becoming Mary Sues (Click here,here, and here for a look into Mary Sues). For an example of what not to do in this regard, look at Narcissus Delacour. * DO NOT make them related to canon characters. Far too often, your character will end up being far too similar to the canon character. Also, you might end up warping the canon character's story to fit around your OC better in some way. And that is bad. The real goal of an OC is to make a character that feels like they could slip right into the world and not cause any problems with their existence. * RESEARCH! This is sooooo important. Know what you're working with, and know about your monster choice. The history of the monster will be very important, so not knowing about the monster will be a huge problem! Personality Just because a character isn't a good person doesn't make them a bad character. They don't have to be nice, but make them believable. If they sound like a caricature and not a person, they aren't believable. If they sound more like a bad stereotype than a real person, they are not believable. Killer Style This is one of the least important things when it comes to character design usually. Try to use the monster's cultural origins, interests, and personality for inspiration, and keep to a theme, but other than that there isn't too much to say. Freaky Flaw This is one of the biggest issues I see with Monster High OCs. The lack of good flaws can lead to a Mary Sue. Here are some things to avoid and consider: * "I don't have a flaw, I'm perfect" or "I don't want to say" and the like. This makes your character look underdeveloped. It translates to "Creator was too lazy to think of a real flaw" * Things like an accent or a beauty mark are not flaws. A flaw is a physical of personality trait that actually causes problems and difficulties for the character. * being too nice or having people faun over them is not a flaw. Being too perfect is not a flaw. Try again. * Click here for a list of flaws that you might want to use, and tropes you might want to avoid. Here is a list of some things that do not count as flaws Pet This is also very unimportant. Just don't make it the same as your monster. (A dragon should not have a pet dragon for example) Favorite Activities Keep it modest. Short, sweet, and simple. A person with 100 hobbies is simply unrealistic. One or two will do fine. And try to keep it in character. A tough biker is unlikely to enjoy tea parties. Biggest Pet Peeve This is another thing that seems to cause problems with a lot of OCs. Listing Cleo or Nefera as a pet peeve is sure to make for a bad first impression of your character. Why? Because it's lazy. Yes, those characters are dislikable, and people in the show dislike them. But that's not really original, or a pet peeve. Try to relate it to the character's monster background, or their personality. If they are a nature lover, they might dislike people littering or bothering animals. Maybe they dislike having their horns/tails/ears touched. Just try to make it more than just disliking a certain person. Favorite and Least Favorite Subjects What do they like to do? In what subject can they do it? That's their favorite. What do they dislike, and where do they have to do that? There's their least favorite. EX: The character likes to play sports, so they enjoy physical deaducation. But they hate public speaking, so Speech is their least favorite. And their least favorite should not be "All of them." Everyone has one thing they like about school, no matter what. Favorite Color Just pick a color or two. It'll more than likely be the colors that are used primarily in their outfit. Try to avoid things like "Rainbow" or "All of them!" for the most part. It's less than original and again comes off as lazy on the creator's part. Favorite Food Relate it to the character and their personality. Not much else to it. Art (notice how this is last) Art is THE LEAST IMPORTANT THING in creating a character. Art means absolutely nothing, no matter how good, if the character is underdeveloped or a bad character. A pretty picture doesn't make a bad character good, but a good character can make a bad picture better. DO NOT use bases or doll makers. I realize they are easy. But they are NOT your friend. They will always look bad. Trust me. Especially if you throw a base into MS Paint and glob colors on top of it. Any scribble, no matter how simple, will still look 100x better than any base or doll maker art will. Not to mention, your character will be guaranteed to look like a Canon character if you use a base of them, or a doll maker of them, which makes your character less original. Bases and doll makers make it impossible to get a unique and accurate representation of your ghoul, and nobody wants that. DO NOT STEAL ART. Here's how to know if it's stolen. Did you draw it? If no, then did a friend or someone draw it for you specifically? If no, then did you ask the artist and get their permission, and credit them as the artist? If no, then it is stolen. Not only is this illegal, it's completely rude and terrible, and it hurts the artist and you. Just don't be a terrible person. Don't steal art. Conclusion And there you have it. Here's a conclusive guide to making a Monster High OC. Remember, your character should feel real. They should fit into the world of Monster High, and not disrupt the natural flow. I wish you the best of luck Category:Tutorial